Trucker ran stop sign before train track

The 235-passenger train, which was heading from Los Angeles to Orlando, Fla., slammed into the truck trailer Thursday, throwing 10 of the 13 cars off the tracks, including the two engines.

Twenty of the 235 passengers and an engineer were taken to the hospital and four remained there overnight.

"He saw the train coming, but it was too late," Department of Public Safety spokesman Tom Vinger said of 21-year-old truck driver David Bubela. "Apparently he did try to brake at some point. ... We think in essence he ran the stop sign."

Bubela of El Campo was pulling a saltwater disposal tank for his employer, New Brunswick, N.J.-based Key Energy Services, when the accident occurred. He faces possible citations for disregarding the stop sign, failure to have a log book and an equipment violation for faulty brakes.

Jack Loftis, an attorney for the company, declined comment, citing the pending investigation.

A stop sign and a railroad crossbuck the railroad crossing sign familiar to motorists are the only cues stationed before this rural track crossing that has no lights or guardrails.

"We will be looking at why the accident occurred, doing interviews with some people, some sight-distance testing and checking the speed of the train," said Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board.

Holloway said the train's event recorder was recovered from the lead engine and has been sent to Washington for review by crash experts.

The rural crossing was reopened to train traffic about 8:30 a.m. Friday, after work crews spent the night clearing away wreckage and replacing 800 feet of destroyed track. The track is part of the nation's main east-west rail link.

Most of the trains' 235 passengers, including 14 who were treated for bumps and bruises, were headed on to their destinations, Amtrak spokesman Steven Taub said.

The remaining hospitalized victims were expected to be released by late Friday.